1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for retaining and/or blocking shoelaces, in particular for sport shoes.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known, all the more so by sports people, that the most comfortable shoes, the most performing as well as the most becoming are lace-up shoes. But it is equally well known that shoelaces are bothersome in many ways.
Among the drawbacks of lace use, the knot can come undone, which may mean having to retie it in a place or an uncomfortable position, since an untied knot can lead to an accident, a fall in particular, because the athlete trips over it or the lace gets caught in a derailleur, that of a mountain bike in particular.
A double knot may prevent this, yet it is not a foolproof solution and besides, it then often becomes quite difficult to untie the double knot.
Another drawback of using shoelaces is that, if the lace hangs loose on the ground, it gets dirty and can become wet or muddy, which weakens it and may dirty the bottom of the pants and socks.
Very short laces would prevent these drawbacks, but they are harder to tie.
This is why many devices have been considered, in particular elastic clamps attached to the lace, near its extremity or elsewhere on it Nonetheless, to this day no really suitable solution, from a practical as well as esthetical and economical standpoint, was implemented.
This invention relates to a new device for retaining and/or blocking shoelaces, in particular for sport shoes, said device being very easy to use, reliable, and little expensive since the same model can be adapted to many different types of uses, shoes and sports, as the user sees fit.
The device for retaining ind/or blocking shoelaces according to this invention is characterized in that it is in the shape of a tube portion, with two parts articulated about a hinge that constitutes one generatrix of the tube, parallel to its axis, and that it can be locked in closed position and can also be unlocked to allow for the insertion or removal of the shoelace in the form of a bundle, one at least of said two parts of the tube portion being equipped with fastening means to art integral part of the shoe, advantageously comprising at least two holes for the insertion of the lace to be blocked and its fastening to it, and the diameter of the opening of the tube in its locked position corresponding essentially to the lace bundle to be secured.
It will be practical and advantageous to design the diameter of the tube opening (in the locked position) so that it corresponds essentially to the diameter of a lace bundle of four to eight strands of lace. Thus it will be possible to enclose the lace in the device, said lace being already tied for instance, by enfolding the two loops and the two loose extremities of the lace, or else, if the lace is not tied, the whole of the loose extremities gathered in a bundle of reduced length which will be suitably maintained on the top of the shoe, near its base if this is where the device was set, or else upward, near the ankle for instance, if the device was placed higher on the lace, where the hole can then be hidden under a sock turnover.
The invention and its implementation, as well as some variations in design and use will be seen more clearly with the aid of the following description, which makes reference to the attached drawings.
In these drawings were represented two types of implementation or embodiments of the device according to this invention and one utilization mode, although said device is not limited to them, as will easily be deduced from the following description.